The mystical creatures have basically become the unicorns of the sea. I mean, there's even something called mermaid toast!

It was only a matter of time, really, before someone thought to use these awesome midriff-baring tails to showcase burgeoning baby bumps. It seems like the perfect pairing, right? We did a search on Instagram using the hashtag #pregnantmermaid, and the results were predictably stunning.

A post shared by Meg Nordmann (@megnordmann) on May 4, 2017 at 9:49am PDT

Gotta love the honesty!

So why has the mermaid tail suddenly become a maternity mainstay?

According to Cosmopolitan, Brazilian photographer Ulysses Padilha—who has shot 14 pregnant women—says it's all about pairing the beauty of women with the mystery of mermaids.

Makes sense. The photog even keeps a stash of 20 mermaid tails on hand for the shoots, as well as a collection of mini fins for his special before-and-after birth package that includes two photo shoots—one featuring a pregnant mom rocking her tail, and another following the birth that includes the baby.